Benzotriazoles having an ester linkage as a substituent have been known and used in silver halide photographic sensitive materials, synthesis intermediates therefor, synthesis intermediates for medicines, rust inhibitors for metals, and the like. Examples of rust inhibitors are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,187,186 and 4,522,785; medicine synthesis intermediates are described in JP-A-52-100473 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means "Unexamined Published Japanese Patent Application"); and examples of synthesis intermediates of photographic compounds are described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,563.
Although phenoxycarbonylbenzotriazole, described in the above-cited U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,563, is used currently as a synthesis intermediate for a coupler in color photography, there are disadvantages such that photographic performance is not sufficient and phenol used as the synthesis starting material irritates human skin thereby making troublesome the handling of the substance in production.